Tragic stories behind gravestones stolen from Thornton churchyard (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Inscriptions on memorials taken from the Bronte Bell Chapel graveyard, opposite St James' Church on Thornton Road tell touching tales of personal grief
7:00am Tuesday 23rd October 2012 in News
By Dolores Cowburn, Bradford Chief Reporter
LOST FOR WORDS: Churchwarden Steven Stanworth at at the site where the gravestones were stolen from the churchyard of the Bronte Bell Chapel
The human story behind ancient gravestones robbed from a historic cemetery with Bronte links has been uncovered.
The Telegraph & Argus revealed yesterday that three gravestones were taken from the Old Bell Chapel, also known as the Bronte Bell Chapel, opposite St James Church on Thornton Road, Thornton, on Friday night through to Saturday morning.
One stone belonged to a family of five children and their parents who all tragically died in the 19th century. One of the children was just a year old. The other stone belonged to a mother and father and their daughter.
Police patrolled the graveyard on Saturday night to stop any more stones being taken. It is thought they were taken for the Yorkshire Stone.
Steven Stanworth, the church warden who discovered the thefts, has found out who two of the stones belong to, but there was no inscription on the third.
“The first one belonged to a Mary Ann Dobson, who died in 1853, and whose parents, Hannah Abbott and James Abbott, died in 1857 and 1875 respectively,” he said.
“The second one belonged to John and Mary Pickles and their five children, who all died in the 1800s.
“We only have these records because a chap called Frank Smith archived them all in the 70s before all the inscriptions were covered and became overgrown with weeds. Some of these stones date back to the 1600s. I am just still lost for words about it all.
“This year we had celebrated 400 years of the Bell Chapel and it was really good and we had a world class painter in to paint our anniversary plaques. Then this happens and the negative is trying to overrun the positive.”
The graveyard closed in the year 2000 and the most recent grave dates back to 1965.
Police inquiries into the thefts are still believed to be ongoing and anyone with information can call the non emergency number 101.
Comments(5)
zippy25
says...
3:56pm Tue 23 Oct 12
Leagueman wrote:Very true the people who buy them are just as bad as the scum that stole them !!!!!!!!
Anyone buying these stones even if cut up, know they are stolen. If there weren't a market for them they wouldn't get stolen in the first place.
The inbreds who steal them have no consience so won't bat an eyelid at anyone telling them it is wrong, i'ts the same as leaving gully lids missing on streets they don't care that someone could cripple themselves.
We need to make the theft pointless i.e. no monetary value then they would leave other peoples things alone.
jacko99
says...
9:38pm Tue 23 Oct 12
We got them everywhere else, so might aswell have them put up in Cemetery's.
The Hoffster
says...
1:54pm Wed 24 Oct 12
jacko99 wrote:What's the point of CCTV if it's not being monitored by someone at the very time the criminal act occurs ?
*****CCTV******* IS THE ANSWER.
We got them everywhere else, so might aswell have them put up in Cemetery's.
It's no use looking back at the vid. 24 hours later when the vile sc*m has done a runner and in all likelihood won't ever be caught.
And RIP to the deceased who's remains were possibly disturbed while this sickening act was being carried out.
Salty Bantam
says...
8:07pm Wed 24 Oct 12
Leagueman says...
2:28pm Tue 23 Oct 12
The inbreds who steal them have no consience so won't bat an eyelid at anyone telling them it is wrong, i'ts the same as leaving gully lids missing on streets they don't care that someone could cripple themselves.
We need to make the theft pointless i.e. no monetary value then they would leave other peoples things alone.